Volcano Yabby - Cherax destructor var. 'Volcano'

The Cherax destructor Volcano was bred in Thailand. The blue original form, the Yabby, comes from Australia, where it is a popular edible crayfish. Of course nobody eats the beautiful Volcano crayfish! With an impressive 15 to 20 cm body length, the bright orange Volcano Yabby is a very large aquarium crayfish. Especially the beefy claws of the males look extremely impressive.

The Volcano has a bright orange base color that looks as if it is glowing from within. There are broad dark blue to purple horizontal stripes on the segments of the abdomen. The walking legs are orange to blue in color. The claws have conspicuous bright red articulated membranes. The scissor fingers are beige to creamy white with orange tips. The broad scissor hands are purple to dark blue, with a light oblique stripe in many specimens. With age, a light marble pattern develops on the Volcano Yabby's claws.

Claw blisters do not develop on this species. The sexes in the Volcano Cherax are best distinguished by the sex openings, which are seen when the crayfish is turned on its back. The gonopores in the female Yabby Volcano are located at the base of the second pair of walking legs, while in the male you can see these depressions at the base of the 5th or last pair of walking legs.

Even if the Latin name of this beautiful Cherax is destroyer, the Cherax destructor "Volcano" is a quite compatible crayfish, which can be kept without problems for example with dwarf shrimps with similar requirements. Small fish may be caught and eaten, especially if they are too curious or sleep on the bottom - however, the Volcano is not an active hunter. Snails, on the other hand, are part of its natural diet, and will be cracked and eaten in any case. Mussels are similar.

As with all crayfish, the Volcano Yabby should not be socialized with crabs or other crayfish - not even with other color forms of the species Cherax destructor, so that the beautiful colors do not mix, but the breeding line Volcano is preserved. In particular, socialization with American crayfish can be potentially fatal because they can transmit the crayfish plague, from which the Volcano Yabby will inevitably die. Water from such an aquarium should not come into contact with Volcano Yabbys, as spores of the pathogen may be present in the water. Therefore, they could also get into the cherax aquarium with wet landing nets, aquarium plants, snails, etc.    

Like many Cherax species from Australia, the Volcano Yabby tends to be crepuscular to nocturnal, at least in the early stages in the aquarium. When it has been able to adjust to the conditions in the new aquarium, it can also be seen during the day. When selecting an aquarium for your Volcanos, please be sure to provide a gap-free, tight-fitting cover. Yabbys are large and strong and can push on surprisingly heavy covers - please weigh them down if necessary. Volcano Yabbys, by their nature, like to roam and are skilled and limber climbers.

For the keeping of a Volcano pair a well structured aquarium from 100 cm length is suitable. The arrangement of the crayfish aquarium should be varied, offer climbing possibilities and hiding places and provide at least one more crayfish tube than crayfish. Caves open in the back are especially important during and after a molt. It takes a while for the crayfish to harden its shell, and until then it must hide well to avoid becoming prey. Cherax destructor Volcano is a burrower and also likes to eat aquarium plants. Secure decorations such as roots and rocks to prevent them from being burrowed under and tipped over. Volcano Yabbys tolerate water temperatures between 16 and 30 °C and medium to hard water.

Female Volcano Yabbys carry up to 400 eggs several times a year after mating, from which the young crayfish hatch after about four to six weeks, depending on the ambient temperature. They remain attached to the swimming legs under the mother's pleon for 1-3 days after hatching. Not all Volcano Yabbys grow to large size. The survival rate of juvenile crayfish increases if they find plenty of hiding places. Brown autumn leaves are ideal for this - they are also a natural and healthy permanent food source with lots of fiber.

Besides brown foliage, the Volcano breeding form of Cherax destructor, as an omnivore, is very fond of NatureHolic crayfish feed, green food such as spinach and nettle (dried or scalded), pumpkin chips and other vegetables, but also frozen food, flake food, food tabs for catfish or granules. Adult crayfish also tolerate an animal portion in their diet without having problems with molting.

Our food recommendation: Freshwater crayfish have a very varied diet in the wild. The Natureholic Crab Feed Sticks contain in a biologically balanced form only those ingredients that these crayfish in this or similar form to their natural food spectrum. This naturally supports and promotes moulting, growth and reproduction. Due to their protein content they are ideally suited for omnivorous crayfish of the genera Procambarus, Cambarus, Cambarellus, Astacus and the Cherax crayfish from Australia, which are basically omnivores that like to eat animal as well as vegetable food. The crayfish of the genus Cherax from Papua also like to eat a portion of animal food when they are young, but later they switch mainly to plant food.

Our plant recommendation: Use for planting NatureHolic InVitros. These are free of snails, planarians and other unwanted co-inhabitants. Also free of algae spores, bacteria and fungi.

Expert Tip: We recommend for fish keeping the NatureHolic 3 Phase Liquid. The care set offers the best all-round protection for your animals. It ensures optimal conditions for successful breeding and keeping.